CJP leaders’ trespass case moves to Crime Branch: What police allege, what the party says

What police allege: trespass through private premises to reach Jantar Mantar and obstruction of police personnel.

What the party says: the authorities are deliberately prolonging the detention.

What police say: releasing the two could threaten public peace.

What is unclear: which of the two FIRs the transferred case corresponds to, as reports differ.

What has not happened: no court has found the leaders guilty.

The case was moved to the Inter State Cell of the Crime Branch for further investigation, according to ThePrint.

The transfer came shortly after the leaders’ judicial custody was extended by two days, according to police sources quoted in the reports.

The reports differ somewhat on whether the transfer came before or after the extension of custody, though most say it came shortly after.

The two leaders were produced before a newly appointed Special Executive Magistrate at the Mandir Marg police station on Monday and sent to judicial remand for two more days, according to ThePrint.

Onmanorama reports that the custody was extended until October 21 and that the magistrate rejected the sureties offered for their release.

According to that report, one surety’s photograph did not match the image on the Aadhaar card, and another surety’s documents lacked basic details, including parentage.

The party’s leaders were detained on October 13 after allegedly entering the Jantar Mantar area, and reports say they raised slogans against the Chief Election Commissioner and unfurled the national flag, according to ThePrint.

On October 14, a Special Executive Magistrate sent the two leaders to judicial custody, according to the same report.

Police allege that they trespassed through private premises to reach Jantar Mantar, which had been de-notified as a protest site a day earlier, and that they violated bonds requiring them to keep the peace.

Delhi Police allege that the protesters obstructed police personnel from discharging their duties, according to ThePrint.

Barakhamba Road, New Delhi (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0